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Cameron Mulroney of the Idaho Cattle Association made me aware that McDonald’s is conducting research in an effort to solve climate change problems. There was a link to an article published by GreenBiz regarding sustainability of the beef supply. For more than four years, McDonald’s has been traversing a long and arduous path to produce "sustainable beef" in its sprawling global supply chain.

Now, it’s looking for solutions right under its feet. The fast-food giant is embarking on a small but potentially significant project to measure and analyze the ability of cattle farming to sequester carbon in soil,

I asked Townsend Bailey how McDonald’s plans to participate in the research. "At the end of the day, we are just the funders," he said. "We want to make sure that the science is able to move forward and really broaden the understanding of grazing practices and the potential for positive ecosystem impacts. Our hope is that this project can be a great way to quantify the positive impacts of ranching and of beef production, and also provide light on best practices that could be implemented on the ground to bring about those positive impacts."